


Children

by IrreverentFangirl



Series: Girls Like Girls (Like Boys Do) [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Flirting, F/F, Single Mom!Caitlin, Single Mom!Iris, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-30 12:09:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5163302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrreverentFangirl/pseuds/IrreverentFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Iris froze, horror overtaking her expression. “Thalia Violet West! Apologize right now - that is not how we treat people!” she yelled as she forced herself to run into the room. Thalia scowled up at her mom, crossing her arms over her chest. </p><p>“I don’t care!” she shouted. “Isabella is mean!” </p><p>Iris turned to the woman she had just been chasing after with an apologetic expression on her face. “I am so sorry for how my daughter is treating your daughter,” she said. “She’s not normally like this, I swear.” </p><p>The woman laughed.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Children

**Author's Note:**

> Written for an anonymous prompt on tumblr! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the Flash or any of its characters.

_Age 8_

 

Iris was running late and she absolutely hated it. It had been a long day at work (her boss was riding her ass about her newest article coming out) and even though Barry had been the one who was supposed to pick Thalia up from school, he had apparently done something stupid (at Cisco’s prompting) and was in the emergency room with a broken leg.

So, Iris was left to ditch work so she could pick her little girl up from school.

She got there at the same time as some pretty white woman was jumping out of her car. She too got out of her car and hurried in the direction of Thalia’s third-grade science classroom. In the back of her head, she noticed that the white woman was going in the same direction.

She reached the door at the same time as the other woman, just in time to hear her daughter yell, “Yeah, well, at least my drawing doesn’t look like some put crayons in the mouth and then smeared it on a piece of paper!”

Iris froze, horror overtaking her expression. “Thalia Violet West! Apologize right now - that is not how we treat people!” she yelled as she forced herself to run into the room. Thalia scowled up at her mom, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I don’t care!” she shouted. “Isabella is mean!”

Iris turned to the woman she had just been chasing after with an apologetic expression on her face. “I am so sorry for how my daughter is treating your daughter,” she said. “She’s not normally like this, I swear.”

The woman laughed. “It’s okay,” she said. “My Isabella has been known to say some rather cruel things herself, and I doubt your child hurt her feeling that much. I’m Caitlin Snow, by the way.”

Iris frowned at her still scowling daughter. “I’m Iris West and this little brat is my daughter, Thalia. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Even if our daughters do hate each other.”

Caitlin laughed again, and Iris melted a little. Her laugh was quite lovely and Iris wanted to hear it again and again. She sent Iris a smile before she signed her daughter out and left.

In a daze, Iris did the same.

 

_Age 9_

Iris didn’t see Caitlin again for quite some time. About a year later, she had volunteered to assist Thalia’s fourth grade teacher, Ms. Prince, on a field trip. Something she immediately felt gratified for when she saw Caitlin Snow again, her hand clamped on a slightly older Isabella’s shoulder.

Iris sent a jaunty wave her way and Caitlin’s eyes clouded with confusion before awareness broke it’s way free and she beamed at Iris, waving back at her. She leaned down to kiss Isabella on the cheek and whisper something in her ear. Then, as she straightened her back, she turned and headed in Iris’s direction.

“Hello,” she said. “Iris West, right? Thalia’s mother?”

Iris grinned at her. “Yep,” she said. “And you are Caitlin Snow, Isabella’s mother. Thals still hates her, you know.”

Caitlin chuckled. “That’s alright. Izzy still hates Thalia too.” Iris blushed and ran a hand through her hair.

“Are you volunteering to help Ms. Prince too?”

Caitlin nodded. “Yes, I am,” she said. “Izzy basically begged me to sign up, so I agreed.”

Iris chuckled, wrapping her right hand around her left elbow. “Thalia basically did the same,” she said.

“Then I guess we will be seeing a lot of each other today,” she said.

“I guess we will.”

—

Iris’s day was going great. The kids were well-behaved, Ms. Prince (“call me Diana”) was awesome, and Caitlin’s personality was as great as her features.

Sure, she was a bit prickly, but she was witty and brilliant, and she was a scientist. Apparently, she knew Barry, too. Apparently her lab, S.T.A.R.  Labs, often worked with the CCPD on occasion. Apparently, Cisco was an old friend of hers and wanted her to get along with his new boyfriend.

All in all, Iris was smitten.

 

_Age 15_

“Mom!” Thalia yelled. “Iz is on her way over!”   
  
Iris set her face in her hands. “I miss the good old days!” she yelled back. “Back when you and Izzy hated each other and I didn’t have to worry about that menace raiding my kitchen!”   
  
“No, you don’t,” Thalia said as she walked into the kitchen. “If Iz and I weren’t best friends, you wouldn’t be able to flirt with her mom.”

Iris felt her cheeks flush and her eyes narrowed. “Don’t you sass me, brat,” she said. Thalia stuck her tongue out at her before flouncing away, a self-satisfied expression on her pretty face. Iris rolled her eyes, fondness sneaking into her eyes. Her daughter was such a brat.

“Ms. West!” Isabella’s voice rang through Iris’s house. “We’re here!”

“Come on in!” Iris called out.

Isabella and Caitlin walked in, prompting Iris to grin. She sat up and leaned forward to hug Caitlin. “Hey, Cait,” she said. “I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

Caitlin hugged her back. “I missed you too, Iris,” she said. “Would you like to spend some time with me while our daughters gossip about girls?”

“I take after you, mother!” Isabella yelled.

Caitlin turned to her and winked at the slim redhead. “And I am very proud of you, baby Bell,” she said.

“Don’t call me that!”   
  
“And we will be talking about girls and boys!” Thalia said, crossing her arms. “I’m bisexual, Caitlin.”

“Oh!” Caitlin exclaimed, grinning. “I’m sorry, Thals. They’ll be gossiping about boys and girls.”

Iris chuckled, grabbing Caitlin’s hand. “C’mon Cait,” she said. “Behave!” she directed at her daughter.

—

Iris was perched on one of her couches, next to Caitlin. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Hey, Cait….” she said. “I was wondering if we could talk?” 

  
Caitlin turned to her and smiled. “Of course we can, Iris. What do you want to talk about?”

Iris ducked her head. Goddamn it, she was an adult! She was turning forty next month, she could tell the love of her life how she felt about her. “Cait...I, I think I’m in love with you.”

Caitlin’s eyes widened and she beamed at Iris, reaching to grasp Iris’s slim hands with her own. “Iris, I’m in love with you too. I mean, I half fell for you years ago, back when you were so horrified at Thalia’s third-grade attempt at insulting Bell.”

Iris blushed before darting forward and brushing their lips together.

“Ew, mom, get a room!” Thalia exclaimed.

Iris and Caitlin pulled away from each other, though Caitlin didn’t let go of Iris’s hand. Isabella was smirking, leaning against a doorway. “Should Thals have said moms instead?” she asked.

Iris chuckled and shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “But you can call me Iris, Izzy. I think our families are going to be closer than ever.”

 

 


End file.
